Prostate Imaging by Vibro-Acoustography

尽管经直肠超声（TRUS）广泛用于前列腺成像，但其存在缺点 法超声成像固有地产生散斑，这是由于 来自组织散射体的回波的随机干扰。这种伪影降低了图像对比度， 检测病变。此外，TRUS无法区分软病变和硬病变。组织 已知僵硬与病理学有关。常规前列腺TRUS的另一个缺点 成像是其在成像前列腺近距离放射治疗种子中的局限性。这个问题在永久性时很重要 在TRUS引导下进行前列腺近距离放射治疗。金属近距离放射治疗粒子经常被遗漏 因此辐射剂量计算不能在超声图像中有信心地进行， 操作设置。我们开发了一种新的成像方式，称为振动声成像， 结合了对TRUS的许多改进，即，它是非侵入性、无斑点、对组织硬度敏感， 并且能够在任何方向上对近距离放射治疗种子成像。积极的校外资助研究 计划开发一种用于一般诊断成像的浅表振动声探头，并研究 振动声成像在乳腺癌中的应用为乳腺癌的诊断提供了强大的动力和背景。 经直肠声振（TRVA）探头的开发。在这项研究中，我们计划进一步开发和 测试这项技术在前列腺成像中的应用。将设计前列腺特异性TRVA探针， 它是与通用电气医疗成像集团联合建造的。TRVA的性能， 将测试在人类受试者中检测前列腺病变并与TRUS成像进行比较。的能力 TRVA用于指导微创前列腺治疗和手术，包括前列腺近距离放射治疗， 将评估冷冻疗法并与超声成像的性能进行比较。的潜力 TRVA用于绘制冷冻治疗后经历完全冷冻消融的前列腺区域 与可能治疗不足的区域相比，也存在。这种成像能力具有显著的 为这一过程提供术中质量保证的意义和翻译潜力 治疗方式该项目的成功完成应该会提供一类新的成像工具， 前列腺成像和提高我们检测和治疗前列腺癌的能力。

Although trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) is widely used for prostate imaging, there are drawbacks to this technique. Ultrasound imaging inherently produces speckle, which is the snowy pattern that results from random interference of echoes from tissue scatterers. This artifact reduces image contrast and hampers detection of lesions. Moreover, TRUS is not capable of distinguishing between soft and hard lesions. Tissue stiffness is known to be associated with pathology. Another shortcoming of conventional TRUS in prostate imaging is its limitations in imaging prostate brachytherapy seeds. This issue is important when permanent prostate brachytherapy is performed under TRUS guidance. Metallic brachytherapy seeds are often missed in an ultrasound image and consequently radiation dosage calculation cannot be done with confidence in the operative setting. We have developed a novel imaging modality, referred to as Vibro-acoustography, which incorporates many improvements over TRUS, i.e., it is noninvasive, speckle free, sensitive to tissue stiffness, and capable of imaging brachytherapy seeds at any orientation. Active extramural funded research programs to develop a superficial vibro-acoustic probe for general diagnostic imaging, and to investigate applications of vibro-acoustography in breast cancer have provided a strong impetus and background for the development of a trans-rectal vibro-acoustic (TRVA) probe. In this research, we plan to further develop and test this technique for prostate imaging applications. A prostate-specific TRVA probe will be designed and constructed in conjunction with the General Electric medical imaging group. The performance of TRVA for detecting prostate lesions in human subjects will be tested and compared to TRUS imaging. The ability of TRVA to guide minimally invasive prostate therapies and procedures including prostate brachytherapy and cyrotherapy will be evaluated and compared with the performance of ultrasound imaging. The potential for TRVA to map areas of the prostate which have experienced complete cryoablation following cryotherapy versus areas which may have been undertreated also exists. Such imaging capability has significant implications and translation potential towards providing a means of intraoperative quality assurance for this treatment modality. Successful completion of this project should provide a new class of imaging tools for prostate imaging and increase our abilities to detect and treat prostate cancer.